Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge review is the best review we ever did. Dual curves on both edges, the display and camera all make it the perfect phone of 2015.
The year 2015 was welcomed with hype in the smartphone market initiated by Apple’s new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus released last year. Both devices helped Apple creating a huge competitive position for other key manufacturers. And Apple’s competitors tried the level best to bring something bigger or at least equal to rank set by Apple.
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Starting the year with the tough competition, Samsung tried to walk in with two key smartphones. Among the duos of Samsung launched this year, includes the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Both arrived with Samsung’s traditional concept and additional features but the Galaxy S6 Edge had curves on both sides and got the due attention. Here in this Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge review, we will discuss the edgy device in the duos which is made special with a relatively new and unique concept in the smartphone market. You can read about the secret features of Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge as well.
The Galaxy S6 Edge was the special gift by Samsung for this year. The dual Edge device introduced not just a new display concept but also many new possibilities in the smartphone interface. It brought beauty, interest and functionality all together with the specialties of Samsung and Android Lollipop. Finally out of the box you will find something new against the rush of devices everywhere in the market.
In this Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge review we will dissect it with the essential features on the 2015 device of the company. The device as you will find next, is a high end device with nice arrangement of specs which are boasted by the additional and unique concept of curves on both edges.
Galaxy S6 Edge Design
As we mentioned the key change you will witness at first sight is the edge display. However, the overall designing concept of the Galaxy S6 Edge is kept same as of other Galaxy devices but the affects of edge display are evident. The dual sided curve over the device actually changes the overall design of the device.
The device is large in its size as it has perused the large display concept that overrules the key Galaxy devices. But despite the large size the weight of Galaxy S6 edge is much light with weight of just 131g. With lightness in weight the Galaxy S6 Edge also claims a degree of slimness. However, you may find it a little thicker than some of other Galaxy devices. Samsung noted the device with a 7mm body but it actually measures at 7.2 mm. It is after all not bad, as for a visible curve the device needs to be a little thick. But again the curved edge on the sides will make you enjoy the size of device.
Galaxy S6 Edge also encased with metal lining which is seen after a long experience with fully plastic body devices of Samsung. The lining not only highlighted the edge sides of the device but also gives it an outlook matching with the iPhone 6 of Apple. The Gorilla Glass also adds nice finishing and looks over its front.
At first you may feel strange holding the device with sided curved that compels you to hold it from just one side. But the designing of the device will not take much time to get familiar. Sharp edge is not only for its specific edged side but also you can notice it is almost design concept featuring a little sharpness. This is particularly notices around the home button.
There are some cuts in features which are made to adjust with a particular design concept. For instance the battery on Galaxy S6 Edge is non-removeable and you can’t mount external storage card. The limits on battery powers and storage capacity may disappoint most of the users. Another drop out noticed in waterproofing which were demanded in any high device after the arrival of new gen iPhone.
Finally the device is ready for you with a good design, curved edge and colorful outlook. White and black are found most attract full but you may like its gold or green models. At the end he chromed finish will leave behind smudges which are not good thing anyways.
Edge screen, the specialty
Though the edged shape of display is a big change but the hardware inside are still much same like Galaxy S6. You will find the same 5.1inch display of Galaxy devices with Quad HD quality which was witnessed in most of the high level devices. However, considering the results of other Galaxy devices, any change in display is not demanded anyways. We can judge the curved affect over the quality of display which is the key earning point for the Galaxy S6 Edge. You can further read here about configuring the display settings of Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.
The super AMOLED technology with a curved side gives an impressive look over matching the design of the S6 Edge. While the resolution of 1440×2560 which is Quad HD makes the screen looking cool and sharp that highlight the curve more. An additional impressive look is brought thru the high pixel density. The 577ppi density is great which is not seen commonly in the devices that stand with the Galaxy S6 Edge.
Read More: How to Configure Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Display Settings
The edge concept was also seen in another Samsung device, the Galaxy Note Edge. But the concept presented with Galaxy S6 Edge is quite different. This expends user’s options using the curved display. It offers from both sides as per users’ convenience to use the features of curved display.
You must have noticed in the note edge a large portion of display with permanent options acting like buttons. But on the Galaxy S6 Edge you can find a usual size display with curves that act as undivided part of display with additional features. You can use the curved side when you need it.
The information stream feature which was introduced with the Note Edge is again there to provide you info about different feeds. You can get all those info but in a new way on the Galaxy S6 Edge. It displays feed only when you are not using the device on active mode. For instance, while the screen is turned off the curved area will show feeds and other notifications which you can change thru free swipe. Another thing to notice is the night clock which displays elegantly while the device’s display is off.
The two way swipe works nicely as you can access the contacts by just a simple swipe from the side with a small bar. It gives you special notification features on your five selected contacts. You can assign each of them a different color so that when they call without looking at the name you can know about the caller. The same color also blinks for missed call notification from the same contact.
Though Samsung has included an improved touch of edge display in the S6 Edge as discriminatory feature but it doesn’t look enough to beat other manufacturers. Other features are however worth considering that will balance the device up to a mark for its users.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge specs
Exynos 7420, the Processor
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As we have seen in the key Galaxy devices, Samsung tried to keep a high detail of hardware. But there is a little change as expected and rumored before the arrival of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. The ruling Qualcomm’s processor is replaced by Samsung’s own Exynos 7420 which also gives the same performance as the Snapdragon 810’s on some other Galaxy devices but without any overheating issues. Thus keeping the performance on the same level Samsung just shifted from outsourced to native processor.
RAM and GPU
The performance of octa-core Exynos 7420 is backed by some perfect RAM and display details. The Galaxy S6 Edge holds RAM of 3GB which stands good along with the Octa-Core processing powers. The display of the curved screen is powered by Mali-T760 with equally high performance. The details are not only impressive on chart but also while hands-on testing it was found with exemplary performance. You may be irked by unusual display but internal performance is not the point to complain about.
Storage, No More external Storage in Galaxy S6 Edge
Storage is another point to talk about as Samsung has kept the options limited on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge devices. Against the Galaxy S6 model which offers storage options of 32, 64 and 128GB on the Galaxy S6 Edge the internal storage options include just 64 and 128GB with not external storage support. Though the internal storage is not bad but after all it limited the options of the users.
Connectivity
As a regular user of Galaxy device, one should not worry about the connectivity options and performance on Galaxy S6 Edge. But still the details are impressive to have a look upon. The connectivity over Wi-Fi is great with dual-band 11ac with other connectivity including Bluetooth 4.1 and strong NFC. The Cat6 over the 4G LTE is combined with additional features for downloading where cellular and WiFi joins to give you the super fast downloading. The S6 Edge is also made compatible with Wi-Fi calling which is seen on the the Galaxy S5 and the Lumia 640.
Heart Rate Monitor and Fingerprint Scanner
Again for the Galaxy users the heart rate monitor and the fingerprint scanners are not new things. Samsung in new devices continues providing both sensors with a refreshed performance. On the Galaxy S6 Edge the heart rate sensor is placed alongside the LED flash and the fingerprint sensor on the old location, inside home button. Though Samsung claims a refreshed experience but still it is found behaving the old ways in response of its sensors.
For heart rate reading you need to try it more than once as it was seen in older devices. However there is something to note with the Fingerprint scanner, on the S6 Edge you don’t need to swipe your finger instead it read the fingerprint as finger is placed on the home button. This really brings some comfort while using the sensor on the Galaxy S6 Edge.
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Battery with quick charging
Many users were expecting the Galaxy S6 Edge with relatively higher battery. The S6 Edge holds its key features on its display which is the most battery consuming parts of the Galaxy devices. But unlike the expectations the device was introduced with a small cut in battery powers as compared with the Galaxy S5. For instance the battery on the Galaxy S6 Edge is 2600mAh while the S5 battery is 2800mAh. Samsung has also promised the wireless charging facility to backup the devices but the charger is not offered with the device anyways.
But still no need to be disappointed as after joining the dots on the spec chart of the Galaxy S6 Edge the battery is quite sufficient to power the device for a longer time. It also includes the fast charging capability which takes 10 minutes to charge the device up to 20 percent. Thus Galaxy S6 Edge will charge 100 percent in one hour which can run the device for a considerable time.
Read More: Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Battery Life Examined
Camera with HDR and OIS
Here we come to the Samsung’s camera expertise on the Galaxy S6 Edge. Again no need to introduce as Samsung is witnessed with a good sense of camera. On the S6 Edge matching the level of specs Samsung has included a 16megapixel camera on rear with plenty of camera features for best results.
There are certain camera details where you can find the improvements made in the S6 devices. For instance, the auto HDR works perfect with additional smart OIS and IR. The smart OIS gives it improved image stability while the white balance is notable with improvement over the IR feature.
Launching the camera app and capturing snaps is also improved to ease the use. Quick Launch makes the camera app to open in a blink. And even a faster response is seen while the screen is turned off. The same quick response you can notice with the auto focus. Thus keep capturing continues snaps without halts and interruption. You will not find the dedicated button as it is not included nowadays but the volume button will do the function in most comfortable way.
The camera on Galaxy S6 Edge is also good for making videos with UHD or 4K results. But as there is no external storage media you must care about the device storage while recording videos with UHD, for the same reason the default video format is set at FHD. You can also enjoy the motion shoot options where you can record in both slow and fast motion.
Not to ignore the selfie option, we have the standard 5 megapixels camera on front. For capturing selfies the 5megapixesl camera is perfect with additional Samsung specialties. Front camera is also enabled for video capturing with a QHD quality. Its front facing camera for selfies can also be operated thru the heart rate sensor on back side of the device.
Software interface with Android Lollipop and TouchWiz
Moving to the software on the Galaxy S6 Edge we find the updated Android Lollipop OS. Ar the time of Galaxy S6 Edge arrival it comes loaded with the Android 5.0 or the Android Lollipop with the special interface of Samsung the TouchWiz. The interface on the Galaxy S6 Edge with the accompanying Galaxy S6 is up to the mark with the both updated Android and Samsung own expertise.
Though the interface is not low anyways but it is still not the key point to describe the Galaxy S6 Edge. Most of the things are kept unchanged for any specific reason other than the usual updated outlook. Samsung including some ease of access features with changes on the notifications. It also brings the Multi-Windows feature where you can use more than one app simultaneously. You can find the Flipboard on the old position but now you can turn it off.
Samsung also offers more options to color your interface with the theme port in the settings. You can do more with the looks and other home screen interface stuffs. There are just a few Samsung apps pre-installed but you may like the useful apps by Microsoft like OneDrive and Skype.
Conclusion
The Galaxy S6 Edge is no doubt an impressive, powerful and beautiful device with the curved display and eye catching looks. But some may not like the sharp edges and feel uncomfortable with the little changed design concept. The non removable battery can be negotiated with lack of microSD slot but both of the features miss the combination of waterproofing which is ultimately noticed.
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Other than these the internal specs and the camera with an impressive interface are great. Thus, ignoring just a few small spots you will find a nice addition in the Galaxy lineup.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Speaker and other ports
